Australian Mountain Running Championships, Saturday 29th April
The Australian Mountain Running Championships cater for runners of all ages from 16 to 80 years and are being held on Mt Tennent in southern Canberra on Saturday 29 April. Full details are in the entry form on www.mountainrunning.coolrunning.com.au, which also has selection information for the Australian team for the World Mountain Running Championships in Turkey in September. The course is over a well graded fire trail.There will be a familiarisation run over the course this Saturday morning meeting at 8am at the Apollo Road car parking area 400m past the Mt Tennent fire trail entrance gate.
The men's 12km field includes 2005 Australian champion Scott McTaggart of Canberra who was the early leader in last year's world championship and Ben Dubois from Wollongong, ranked 8th in the world last year and winner of the world's richest mountain race in Nigeria in November. The women's field is headed by world long distance mountain running champion Emma Murray, in great shape after a 7 minute p.b. to place 4th outright in a field of 800 runners in the Six Foot Track 45kms in March.
The veterans fields include three outstanding M70 competitors, showing you aren't too old if you are fit enough. 78 year old Rad Leovic completes the Mt Ainslie Run Up each month in around 22 minutes. But the M70 favourite will be superfit former race walker Bob Chapman. Entries are being accepted right up to race day but it would be appreciated if they can be mailed in earlier.
John Harding
Australian Mountain Running Association
Inquiries: jgharding@bigpond.com